As artists, our creativity and inspiration stem from an interplay of our experiences, our personalities and our individual perception of the world. We are surrounded by people so different from ourselves who can open our eyes and inspire us to create something unique.

As creatives in two very different fields, this is a place for things we find and do that inspire us, a place to invite and connect with other artists from any creative walk of life. We hope you are entertained, excited and inspired by something you find here.

Ria Mishaal is an artist and photographer, exploring the capture of light and love in still images. She loves trees, authenticity, and working with her hands. She likes to be organised. She loves to get lost in stories, breathing fresh air and learning.

Helen is a writer and broadcaster who is drawn to the life aquatic. She loves sewing dresses, growing veg, and those surprising things you only find by looking carefully. Her artwork combines intricacies of the natural world with a delight in scene-setting and storytelling.

I don’t even remember how old I was when my father gave me a copy of Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. It has always been there. The most precious gift. He tells me I was 10. It is what I have always wanted to live by…even though it is so hard sometimes. I have a habit of doing what I think is right by others, rather than what is good for me.

It is a testament to head over heels I was for him – I gave Jake this poem on our first Christmas. I painted a picture of an old fig tree that grew on his parents’ land (in the Belizian rainforest) and overlay the words that meant so much to me, as I knew they would to him.

20 years after my fathers gift to me, and 5 1/2 years after my gift to Jake, I am for the first time, really, truly…
…striving to be happy.